OC History

by 209% in Orange County during the same period, compared to 118% growth in the nation as a whole. That growth, while noteworthy, was unequal, and unemployment and poverty are higher for people of color. During this period (1979-2016)40: · Unemployment is highest for Native Americans (10%), followed by African American (8%), Latino (6%) and then API (5%) and White (5%) · Income inequality increased in Orange County from .36 Gini Coefficient to .47 · Wage growth for top income earners increased by 24% and for fell by 26% for lowest income workers From 2000 to 2016, wage growth was uneven across racial/ethnic groups. “The median wage increased for white, Asian American/Pacific Islander, and mixed-race workers, while wages for Black and Latino workers stagnated”41 .

Orange County History

The labor history of Orange County is one piece of the puzzle that explains current day inequities. During the Spanish Colonial period (1500s to 1700s), labor structures and wealth accumulation were tied to land ownership, management, and race.42 Spanish missionaries and soldiers oppressed indigenous communities, requiring them to provide labor.43 By the late 1800s, with the development of irrigation systems, commercial ships entering Newport Bay, and the Southern California rail boom, the economy transitioned into an agricultural hub, where wealthy white landowners dominated. For more than a century to follow, this economy has depended on a steady supply of low-wage workers, often from BIPOC, to succeed. Several acts of historical protest and oppression stand out in the labor history of Orange County. Systemic racism is evident in events such as the lynching of Francisco Torres and the 1936 Citrus Strikes in which law enforcement and white resident violence appeared to collude. In 1892, Mexican laborer Francisco Torres, Lehmann, of the Modjeska Ranch, Francisco Walter., creator Torres, had an argument with ranch foreman, William McKelvey, over a weekly poll tax deducted from his wages. McKelvey was later murdered. Torres was captured by San Diego Sheriff and turned over to Sheriff Lacy in Santa Ana. He was dragged out by a mob and lynched at Fourth and Sycamore Streets in Santa Ana.44 The root of the argument that spiraled was Torres’ opposition to a deduction from already meager wages. In 1919 and 1920, laborers engaged in major oil strikes in Placentia and Huntington Beach. Later, in 1936, laborers participated in the Citrus Strike. Laborers demanded a raise to their low wages, which sparked violent conflict between the strikers and the Sheriff. The Sheriff ordered law enforcement to “shoot to kill” any trespassers at the orange groves. Eventually, this conflict subsided when laborers were offered some concessions including a 20 cent per hour raise. Entrepreneurs and business owners from BIPOC were not encouraged to start businesses in Orange County. Throughout the twentieth century, Sundown Towns existed in some Orange County cities.45

Blood Orange: The 1936 Citrus Strike in Orange County

40 It is worth noting that this is the pre-COVID-19 pandemic. The effects of the pandemic exacerbated these conditions. 41 OC Equity Profile. (2019. p. 42) 42 See property and housing case study. 43 Newson, Linda A. “Indian Population Patterns in Colonial Spanish America”. Latin American Research Review Vol, No. 3 (1985) 41-74 https://www.jstor.org/stable/2503469, 20. 44 OC Human Rights Council, “Orange County Civil Rights: A History of an Enduring Struggle for Equality”. 45 “A Brief History of Orange County”, https://www.orangecountyhistory.org/wp/?page_id=38.

Throughout the twentieth century, Sundown Towns existed in some Orange County cities. Sundown Towns were towns that allowed people of color in their boundaries to work, but not to live; they had to leave by sundown. The message was clear – you can be an employee, a wage earner here during the day, but you can’t flourish here, can’t own here, and can’t live here. From the 1960s to the present, individuals, nonprofits, and unions have continued to ” advocate for improved conditions and pay for low-wage workers in Orange County, who are disproportionately from minoritized communities.

Sundown Towns were towns that allowed people of color in their boundaries to work, but not to live; they had to leave by sundown. The message was clear – you can be an employee, a wage earner here during the day, but you can’t flourish here, can’t own here, and can’t live here. In 1940, the first black owned business in the county – Red Cap Shoe Repair – was established on 4th St. in Santa Ana.

The Fight for Equity and Justice

BIPOC – often immigrant populations – were and continue to comprise a large percentage of the low wage, local labor force that is key to the local economy, including agriculture. Belonging to this labor segment has meant navigating the push and pull of policy and facing incredible challenges in social mobility over time, especially when coupled with inequity in education, housing, and other areas. Some examples of the policy push and pull include the following. In 1943, representatives from Orange County packinghouses met to discuss hiring seasonal laborers from Mexico to alleviate the wartime labor shortage. In 1951, the Bracero program, which brought Mexican labor into the US, became public law. In 1961, Farm officials and the state Department of Employment claimed that discontinuing the Bracero Program would cripple Orange County agriculture, while many domestic workers disagreed. Groups such as the National Farm Labor Union, the AFL-CIO, Agricultural Workers Association (AWA), the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC), founded by Dolores Huerta), and the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) founded by Cesar Chavez, advocated for farmworker rights and well-being. Groups such as these pushed for the end of the Bracero program, which did end in 1963. From the 1960s to the present, individuals, nonprofits, and unions have continued to advocate for improved conditions and pay for low-wage workers in Orange County, who are disproportionately from minoritized communities. One example was in 1965 when 100 protesters picketed the Thriftymart Market for their policy not to hire African Americans. Five of those protesters were arrested.46 Another example was in 2014 when 400 Private-Sector Trash Sorters, Teamsters Local 396, and Community Members successfully organized and demanded improved conditions for employees.47 teamster.org/2020/10/a-summer-streak-for-sanitation-workers/

46 Loewen, James W. (2016). Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism. 47 “Shouting from the Margins: Black Orange County, 1960-1979”, https://www.lahistoryarchive.org/resources/SHOUTING/resources/timeline.html